World Kangaroo Day - 24 October 2023

 Hi everyone. I hope you and yours are doing well. 

I learnt yesterday that it is World Kangaroo Day on Tuesday 24 October 2023. The first World Kangaroo Day was held in 2020. 

I know my overseas visitors enjoy seeing my kangaroo pics, especially when I randomly say I come across them when we are out bushwalking. 

Here is one we interrupted having his lunch at Carnarvon Gorge when we visited Queensland on the eastern side of Australia recently - so this would be the Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)

This was a male - they are big - you wouldn't want to mess with one. They can be up to 1.5 metres (five foot) tall and weigh about 60kg (132 pounds). Lucky for us these kangaroos near the picnic area at Carnarvon Gorge are quite used to people - but you don't want to approach them - they are wild kangaroos and could be very dangerous if provoked.  

The one below here is the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) They are the largest living marsupial. An adult male stands over 1.8m tall (5 ft 10 in) and can weigh up to 90kg (198 lb). Red kangaroos live throughout most of central mainland Australia, in areas with low rainfall, prefering open plains, grasslands and deserts. 

This one we saw in a wildlife park near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, having a snooze in the shade. 

Here are some quick facts about kangaroos -

• Kangaroos are the largest Marsupials on Earth.- Kangaroos belong to the mammal family  Macropodidae (meaning ‘big feet’).
• There are about 60 species of kangaroos and wallabies
• A group of kangaroos is called a mob.
• Kangaroos' enlarged hind feet, powerful hind legs and strong tail help them hop up to 8 metres (26 foot) in one jump   These adaptations allow some species of kangaroo, such as red and grey kangaroos, reach speeds of over 48 km per hour (30 miles ph).

• Kangaroos can suspend pregnancy - called emrouonic diapause - until the pouch Is vacant. Females can have up to 3 joeys at different stages of development at any one time. If a joey is lost, they can bring forward the next joey into the pouch without mating again. 
• A kangaroos long feet and tail prevent them from walking backwards
• They use their powerful tails as a fifth leg - if you cllick on this link you can see how kangaroos stand up on their tail when they are fighting - you might have heard of boxing kangaroos - echidnawalkabout.com.au/how-kangaroos-fight/
• They sometimes drown their enemies.
• It is believed that the name kangaroo comes from the Guugu Yimidhirr indigenous people sharing the word "gangurru" with Camptain James Cook when he landed in eastern Australia in 1770.

Below is a black footed (or black flanked) rock wallaby we saw during a Yardie Creek cruise in the Cape Range National Park in Western Australia.  This is a small and extremely agile marsupial that darts among rocky outcrops and caves in central and Western Australia.

And below is the Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) that we see when we are bushwalking over here in the south of Western Australia. In the top two photos you can see joeys (the baby) looking out of the pouch.

The pic bottom right hand side is kangaroos we can see in paddocks not far from where we live - a great place to take overseas visitors to see kangaroos - they are wild living and come down to the paddocks from the bush to graze. You can see more on my blog post here - Paperbark cathedral - Leschenault Estuary

Another place to see them locally is at the Bunbury wildlife park where you can meet kangaroos close up. 

And some red kangaroos in the Western Australian Pilbara region

This photo taken by my husband we believe is the pretty-faced wallaby - also known as the whiptail wallaby ( Notamacropus parryi) We saw this one at Karumba up near the Gulf of Carpentaria in Queensland. Wallabies are much smaller than kangaroos, more suited to living in scrublands. Males weigh from 14 to 26 kg (31 to 57 lb) and stand at a height from 70 to 93 cm (28 to 37 in)

To read more interesting facts about kangaroos - click on the links below....

Goeco.org-10-kangaroo-facts-you-didnt-know/

Treehugger.com/kangaroo-facts

And learn more about World Kangaroo Day here -  - www.worldkangarooday.org/about

Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you have enjoyed my post about kangaroos.  We certainly have some unusual animals in Australia. 

I value your comments and look forward to hearing from you. I will try to visit your blogs in return. Have a wonderful week. 

With so much blood-shed and heart-break happening in this troubled world. I hope you and your families stay safe. 

I am linking up to the link-ups below. Please click on the links to see fabulous contributions from around the world - virtual touring at its best!
   

Mosaic Monday @ Soul & Mind & So On

Saturdays Critters - Viewing Nature With Eileen

Travel Tuesday

Pictorial Tuesday 

ThroughMy Lens 
Image-in-ing
My corner of the world through my camera 
Wednesday Around the World at Communal Global hosted by Randomosity. 
       and Little bird - Pienilintu
Thankful Thursday 
Welcome to Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

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